After Bug Planet
by sharpie601
Summary: After the events from "Starship," will Taz and Up finally realize and act upon the love they have for one another? (Rated T for language and mature themes in future chapters)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! So this is a new multi-chapter fic that I hope to continue. It is a Tup fic that is based after Starship. Please please please let me know what you think of this! I hope to update as often as possible if this is liked so leave a message or comment and I will deeply appreciate it. Anyway, please enjoy!**

Her black boots stomped back onto the Starship as the festivities down on Bug's planet had begun. After the marriage of Tootsie and Megagirl there was a large party full of dancing and drinking. However Taz did not partake in any of the activities. She was not the "dancing" or "party" kind of girl. She needed to get away from all the crazy rangers and bugs to just be by herself. Besides, there was no way she could enjoy herself down there with Up around. He finally had returned to his old and normal self which made Taz's stomach become full of little butterflies and robots. She hated that though. A powerful lieutenant like herself could not have a little schoolgirl crush on her much older commander. Well, he wasn't that much older. Only a couple of years, but the many battles and wars he fought in caused the man to age much quicker than he should have. There was no possible way she could let herself sit there and be tortured with the presence of him, so she instead sat inside the empty starship, relaxing in the chair.

As she sat in the black, leather chair a little item caught her eye. The drawer in front of Up's commander seat was slightly in it and she could not help but notice a golden necklace looking item hanging out of it. Taz got up and slowly walked over to the chair, taking the little golden object in her hand to inspect it further. It was not just a plain old necklace however. No. It was a dog tag. But a very special dog tag. It was golden with a beautiful design around the corners. In the center it read,

"COMMANDER UP

GREATEST COMMANDER TO EVER LIVE"

A small smile formed on Taz's lips as she read that. It was true. Extremely true. Without Up the entire world. No. Galaxy, would be controlled by the horrific robots they had fought during the Robot Wars. She tossed it in her hands, about to put it back, before she saw what resided on the back of the dog tag. There was a picture. Not just any picture of the commander however. This one was a picture of both Up and Taz, smiling at each other while on a mission many years ago. Taz looked at it closely and remembered the moment exactly.

_It had been a long and brutal battle on the planet of Seltaeb where some of the most powerful of robots resided. Taz and Up were able to get themselves, as well as all of the other rangers, out of an extremely dangerous situation, sustaining no casualties whatsoever. The two had been talking when they were notified by the leader of the entire Galactic League, Dr. Spaceclaw, that they were going to be honored with an award on their services during the battle. As they were told the information the two embraced in a hug before pulling away, smiling widely at one another, so immensely proud of one another. Up was proud due to the fact that this little Hispanic girl that he had met at her quincenera only several years ago had been so amazingly trained by himself that she was able to receive such an honor at such a young age. Taz was proud that she was able to know and work with such an amazing commander, especially knowing the fact that this was such a big deal to the older man. _

A small smile formed on her face as she relived the memory.

"Taz? What are you looking at?" Asked a man with a strong Southern drawl.

Taz instantly jumped and hid the dog tag behind her back, glancing over at him briefly. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"  
"Si."

"You're lying, Taz."

"I am not!"  
"Yes you are. I know you well enough. Besides, I can see that dog tag dangling from your fingers." He added with a small smirk as he stared back at her.

Taz's cheeks flooded red as she stood there, obviously caught looking at the dog tag. She had no idea what to say to him so she just stood there, glancing down at her feet.

"Aww, come on, Taz. You know I don't mind ya looking through all that shit. I don't care. I was just curious why you were looking at it."

"Jour drawer was open and I saw it. So I looked. End of story."

"Did ya see the back of it?" He asked with a small smile.

"Si. I did. It was't anything special." Taz stated bluntly, not wanting to show any emotion.

The smile that was residing on up's face soon turned into a frown. "Oh…I just thought you might…never mind…." He bit down on his lip before half limping over to Taz, taking the dog tag from her, before placing it back in the drawer, locking it right after. "I've kept that tag for years. It brings back some good memories and hope." As he saw Taz roll her eyes at him he sighed and walked back toward the exit of the ship. "Well, I just was checking on you. I was worried since I didn't see ya out there. You should come on out. It's a lot of fun."

"No. Absolutely not."

Up nodded slightly with a sigh and stared at her for a moment before turning around. "Maybe next time…" He mumbled quietly to himself before he disappeared from Taz's sight.

Taz watched and made sure he was truly gone before letting out a sigh she was holding in, sitting back down in her chair. Why did she always have to act so rude to him? He was only trying to be nice and seem like he cared about her. Maybe next time she would finally give in and at least smile back at him. _Maybe. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone. Sorry I didn't post for Breredith Friday yesterday! It was my cousin's engagement shower so I was busy all day! But I'll make I up to you! Some point this week (maybe even tonight) I'll post a Breredith fic. But back to this one! I only wrote one chapter for this a while ago but I'm thinking of continuing this. So make sure to review and let me know if it is even worth continuing! I hope you all enjoy. Thanks for reading!**

As the night went on Taz remained in the room, almost forgetting that it was not her own. Her room was down the hall, the second door on the right. She chose this room years ago, just because Up's room was right next door. She liked having him nearby. Even though she could protect herself, Taz always felt a lot safer knowing that he was right next door. Up would never let anything bad happen to her. Taz continued to relax in the leather chair, tapping her fingers on the side of it. After a little while, without realizing it, she slowly dozed off to bed, her head resting on the back of the chair.

Up was enjoying himself at the party. He really was. There was only one thing missing. Taz. Though she may not have been the nicest or more fun person at the party her sarcasm always brought a small smile to Up's face, even if he had to hide that smile from her. As he saw festivities slowing down a bit he decided to sneak back onto the ship to go to bed. He had no intention of doing any shots with his rangers or the strange creatures they met on Bug Planet that day.

As he walked down the hall toward his room however, he heard a familiar noise. The sound of Taz's peaceful breathing with a tiny hint of a snore (though he would never tell her that). He walked over to the chair, raising an eyebrow in amusement slightly. That girl really could sleep anywhere. Up looked down and gently ran a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face. Surprisingly for a ranger such as Taz, she was a heavy sleeper. Most would expect her to be up at the smallest peep, but not Taz. That was one thing Up loved about her. Every once in a while when she would pass out on his couch he could just watch her without worrying about waking her up, disturbing her peace. Up bent down and carefully picked her up, carrying her off to his room. Might as well. He never really got to hang out with her any more. Now at least she had no choice in the matter and he could just lock her in his room with himself so she would have to talk to him.

As he opened the door to his room, he locked it behind him before carefully placing her on the bed. He sighed quietly, noticing all the equipment she had on her. Sure she would probably consider killing him for changing her clothes, but he had to. It looked so uncomfortable to sleep in an outfit like that. Up gently lifted her up and pulled off her shirt and pants. He bit his lip, noticing the undergarments she had on. Surprisingly they were tight and sexy on her. Now she would definitely kill him for getting a peek at those. He grabbed an old shirt of his and pulled it onto her as a nightgown sort of garment. After getting her into comfortable clothes he positioned her on the bed and tucked her in. Up got changed as well before climbing in next to her, hesitantly wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Goodnight, Taz." He whispered softly before kissing her forehead, slowly falling asleep.


End file.
